Arizona Mining Reform Coalition Action Alerts

Senator Harry Reid has assembled a draft omnibus public
lands bill that he would like to introduce and pass yet this Congress in the
waning days of the current lame duck session.

Upper Gaan Canyon

Senator Reid’s efforts are laudable except for one major
flaw with the bill: apparently in an
effort to gain support for the bill from Senator McCain and other Republicans,
he has inserted a major “poison pill” into the bill. It contains the Oak Flat Land Exchange (S 409
– the result of a compromise deal between Senator McCain (R-AZ) and Senator
Bingaman (D-NM). The Oak Flat land
exchange is an extremely controversial bill that would result in the
destruction of not only an incredible and unique desert ecosystem, but the
religious freedom of Native American Tribes.

Up In LightsPlease attend the Tucson Premiere of The Great Oak Flat Land Giveaway on Wednesday, March 24th at 7:30 PM at the Screening Room (127 E. Congress St.) in downtown Tucson, AZ. The film will be followed by a panel discussion by the filmmakers and principles in the film. There is a suggested donation of $5.00 and copies of the film will be available for purchase.

Gaan Canyon Vegetation and WaterYour action is needed now to stop a compromise on the Oak Flat land exchange bill (S. 409) that is schedule to be marked up in the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee on December 16th along with 35 other bills.

This remarkable display of speed was brought about by a deal cut between Senator John McCain of Arizona who has been championing Rio Tinto’s special interest legislation to help him get re-elected to the Senate next year, and Energy & Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico.

Although Senator Bingaman promised Tribal leaders in a meeting following the Bill’s hearing in June that he would consult with them before any movement of the bill, this deal was struck without input from the Tribes. In fact, bill language was only shared to a few select groups and then only at the strong insistence to see language and after a promise was extracted not to share the language widely.

What we do know about this deal is troubling.

Please contact members of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee and ask them to oppose any consideration of this amendment.

In the House, please contact Representative Ann Kirkpatrick and remind her why HR 2509 is a bad idea. Also contact House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and tell her why HR 2509 is special interest legislation that gives a huge subsidy to foreign mining companies that already make billions of dollars in profits every year.

In the Senate, please contact Senator McCain and Senator Bingaman and tell them "no backroom deals." Senator McCain has bullied Senator Bingaman to the point that he is willing to compromise, but he needs to stick to his guns to protect the land, religious freedom, and the normal process we use to permit mines.